Galin
by Shimy
Summary: A simple series of one-shots meant to explore Galin's temper, abilities, what he likes and dislikes. Hence the simple, yet clear title. Meet Atlantis' Prince! Rated T just to be safe.
1. Stolen

**Author's note: Hello everyone! This is the first of a series of one-shots I am planning to write, just so you can get familiar with Galin as well as me. =D There will be no actual order -otherwise I'll point it out- and I hope you will enjoy reading them. Oh and since I'm writing, here's the usual disclaimer: I don't own Atlantis: The Lost Empire or any of its characters. The 'only' things I own are the plots of the stories and my original characters, including Kemelan! ^^  
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"**T****AHBTOAP!!!"**

Galin's scream tore the silent and peaceful depths of the night. The six years old Prince of Atlantis woke up with a jump, his deep blue eyes wide and fearful. His body was soaked with sweat and racked by spasms of terror. When he felt a warm draught caress his forehead, Galin looked up through the current of his tears and saw Kemelan, his little parrot-lizard, rolling his eyes out of worry and chirping pitifully whilst flying around his young master's head. Galin had always thought Kemelan's skin, whose countless shades of blue were very different from the other flying reptiles of his kind, was a wonder to look at. And there was another great difference: Kemelan was the only parrot-lizard known in Atlantis who had four paws instead of only two. Eventually the little blue reptile closed his wings on his flanks and landed gracefully on the Prince's bare shoulder, careful not to scratch it with his sharp claws. Galin lifted his hand, almost in an instinctive manner, and began to gently stroke Kemelan's neck. The parrot-lizard soon gave little cooing under the nimble touch of his master's fingers, and then decided to snuggle up to him. The Prince, whose body was still trembling, could not help but dare to show a small smile through his sobs. Kemelan did not need much to be happy. He, on the contrary, could not just forget the terrifying nightmare he had just had, and he heaved again as the bloody pictures replayed in his mind. Kemelan stopped to coo and brushed his rough, yet amazingly soft head against Galin's cheeks and the salty furrows that kept rushing down them, wanting nothing but to comfort his master. The Prince of Atlantis waited. He knew he had to wait a little.

* * *

When his son's shrill cry of panic reached his ears, Milo abruptly broke the passionate kiss –to say the very least- Kida and he had been sharing for more than a minute. The Queen's hands stopped roaming along his back and gently rested on the bulging muscles of his shoulder blades. The both of them looked at each other, still a bit breathless, and there was a moment of silence before Kida cocked her head, lifted one inquiring eyebrow and gave her husband a questioning, yet amused look, a radiant spark of mischief flickering in her eyes.

"Well? You are going to see what is wrong, are you not?"

Milo sighed heavily, and regretfully rolled off of her. While groping for his glasses on the bedside table, he made the Shepherd's Journal fall from it and decided he would pick it up later. He then seized and readjusted the upper-part of his toga Kida had released his chest from a dozen of minutes ago. He humorously thought he was lucky he only had _that_ part of his clothes to put back on. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Milo stretched his arms and rubbed his neck; his bare feet brushed against the cold rocky ground, and just when he was about to stand up, he felt Kida's arms embrace around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and put her lips close to his ear. He shuddered, and she smiled wistfully, though he could not see it.

"Try to be quick."

"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you go yourself?"

"First of all, I never said I was in a hurry, and secondly, he called for 'Tahbtoap', did he not?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure 'Mahtihm' would do a fine job as well!"

"And deprive our son from seeing his wonderful, caring and loving father?"

"That's flattery."

"What if it is?"

Milo shook his head slightly, grinning sheepishly. This woman had her hold on him, and there was nothing he could do to change that. Not that he wanted to. He blushed when she put her lips on the corner of his mouth, somehow not recalling the reason why he was ready to leave her momentarily. But as a second "Tahbtoap!!" echoed through this part of the palace, he suddenly remembered Galin and quickly snapped out of it.

"Gotta go!"

And he dashed away, leaving Kida behind him. She stared at his back for a couple of seconds, still smiling, and made herself comfortable on their bed, taking advantage of Milo's absence to take a large amount of his part of the blanket with her.

* * *

When Milo gently opened the door of his son's bedroom, he was almost immediately assailed with a chorus of angry shrieks. Kemelan flew rapidly around him, obviously reproachful.

"Easy, Kemelan, easy!!" Milo waved the reptile off.

"Tahbtoap!!" Galin cried, relief streaming through his voice. The Prince jumped out of his bed and ran into his father's arms. Milo swoopped him up and immediately noticed the beads of sweat that stood out on the child's forehead. He looked tenderly down at his son while the parrot-lizard perched himself again on the Prince's shoulder. The little boy looked indeed very agitated.

"Hey there, squeaky-chip-monkey. What's wrong?"

'Squeaky-chip-monkey' was the nickname the King of Atlantis had given to his son when he was still only a baby. And when Kida had asked Milo why he called the little prince that way, he had argued that Galin often squealed, that he had the cheeks of a chipmunk –though that had changed since then- and that he liked to use his toes to grab things like a monkey.

"I had another nightmare!"

"Oh. Wanna talk about it?"

"There was this giant snake again. It bit you in your neck. And…and…"

Galin burst into tears once more. Milo sighed and ran his hand up and down his son's back to soothe him. The boy did not have nightmares often, but when he did, it was always about some sort of giant reptile, usually a snake, and it always ended with either his father or his mother being brutally killed. Both Milo and Kida found it rather odd and a bit disturbing, but took comfort in the fact that such nightmares were only rare occurrences.

"Shh, Galin, calm down. I'm here. I'm right here."

The King of Atlantis walked at a fast pace until he could sit on the edge of his son's bed. Meanwhile Kemelan was still trying to comfort his master by licking his face. Maybe telepathic wasn't the word, but anyone who went around the Prince and Kemelan knew the little parrot-lizard had shown abilities to perceive the emotions of others and to make his own understood. And although no one could tell what it was exactly, the bond the Prince and his blue parrot-lizard shared was considered perfectly obvious.

Milo affectionately ran his hand through Galin's golden hair and gently stretched him out on his bed and under the light blanket, handing him his fluffy white cat. The Prince stared into his father's eyes, an unspoken wish playing silently on his lips. Milo chuckled. Galin had Kida's eyes and the same facial expressions. The scholar glanced at the bedside table and picked up the book that had been put there, waiting to be read. Milo tapped on the book's front cover.

"So, do you want me to read the next chapter?"

Galin's eyes, whose bottom were still brimming with tears, instantly lit up with wonder and pleasure. Kemelan flapped his wings, cooed several times, at last satisfied, and coiled his tail around his young master's neck.

"Yes, please!!"

"Okay. Then make room for me, young man!"

The Prince of Atlantis obeyed instantly and snuggled up to his father. Milo smiled and, after having used his shard of crystal to light the lamp on the bedside table, carefully opened the precious book.

"Where were we, squeaky-chip-monkey?"

"Chapter twenty-two!"

"Okay…Chapter twenty…twenty-one…Ah, there it is. _Chapter twenty-two: How My Sea Adventure Began. There was no return of the mutineers--not so much as another shot out of the woods. They had "got their rations for that day," as the captain put it, and we had the place to ourselves and a quiet time to overhaul the wounded and get dinner. Squire and I cooked outside in spite of the danger, and even outside we could hardly tell what we were at, for horror of the loud groans that reached us from the doctor's patients. Out of the eight men…"_

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Kida picked up and gently, almost reverently, closed the Shepherd's Journal that had fallen when Milo had rushed out of their bedroom. She looked at it for a couple of seconds, and then set it down on her husband's bedside table where a pile of numerous scrolls that were heaping up, irregular and fragile pyramid of knowledge. Kida shook her head and could not help but smile broadly; however much exceptional Milo was as a scholar, the strange ability he had to find whatever he was looking for in the mess he created himself when he was working was beyond her. It was almost a product of pure miracle. Kida had long ago abandoned all hope of ever seeing Milo tidy up the room he considered as his office! This was all the more strange since he was normally extremely adamant regarding the fact that things always had to be in their proper place. The Library, in particular, was Milo's private kingdom and –Great Kings!- woe betide him who did not put a scroll or a book where it belonged!

Kida quickly glanced at the magnificent water-clock Preston Whitmore had given Milo and herself as a marriage gift. It had been a long time since her husband had left to check on Galin. Longer than she had expected, even if she knew Milo had more than probably decided to read a story to their son. Still, it was odd he had not returned yet. The Queen stretched her long, thin and muscular legs under the thin blanket, forcing every fibre of her body to emerge from the comfortable torpor in which sleep had made them fall straight into. Giving a resigned sigh, Kida slipped on the silky blue nightgown Milo had made slip down her shoulders before Galin had called him and exited the room. When she asked them, several guards confirmed Milo had not left the Prince's bedroom yet. Kida thanked them, wished them a good night –as good as can be, since they were expected to remain awake- and finally arrived at her destination.

When she was sure she couldn't hear a single sound filter through the door, she delicately pushed its right-hand door and peeked through the interstice. Seeing nothing at first, despite the fireflies-globe's dim light, Kida stepped in silently and softly called Milo's name. There was no answer. The Queen made her way towards Galin's bed and eventually could make out two distinct forms laying in it, and what she saw when she got even closer made her smile grow wider on her face, so much so that she was conscious of it. But how in the world could she have prevented her heart from melting in front of such a sight?

Galin was curled up against his father's flank, clasping his fluffy cat to his chest, and his head nestled in the crook of Milo's shoulder, improvised pillow. As for Milo himself, he was lying on his back, one of his arms protectively wrapped around the Prince's waist, the other sprawled out on his own torso, and the hand of which was still holding the book he had been reading to Galin. Their shards of crystal were almost touching each other. Moreover, Milo was still wearing his glasses, indisputable proof of the fact both father and son had fallen asleep while reading.

Kida gently took the precious spectacles and put them down on the bedside table, where they would be safe. She then devoted herself to trying to retrieve the book from Milo's grasp without waking him up; a task that proved to be much more difficult than she had ever thought it would be, all the more so that Kemelan, who had woke up when the Queen had entered the room, decided to chirp enthusiastically as a welcome and a way to encourage her. The little blue reptile opened his wings, and, seeing that Kida was having trouble freeing the book from the stubborn vice of Milo's fingers, fluttered about around the King's sleeping face, pointing his little split-ended tongue towards the man's earlobe. Immediately, in a manner that was as instinctive as subconscious, Milo lifted his hand to get rid of that unknown, unpleasant nuisance. Kida seized the golden opportunity as well as the book itself. Kemelan landed carefully on Galin's pillow, looking very proud. The Queen of Atlantis brushed her fingertips against the book's first cover, and she smiled as she read its title. _Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson_.

Kida stood up and put the novel back on one of the Prince's shelves. She also took the time to open the small bowl in which she knew Galin kept bits of dried meat for Kemelan. She took one and made her way back to the bed. The reptile smelled the meat and, when Kida handed it to him, wolfed it down gluttonously in less time than she needed to say 'Atlantis.' She giggled as the blue parrot-lizard gave a satisfied hiccup and curled up in a ball on the pillow again. She winked at him and bent over Milo to give a small peck on her son's cheek. The young prince did not move a muscle, not even when his mother's hand brushed the stray golden bangs that fell on his large forehead.

"Good night, sweetheart."

Kida adjusted the linen blanket so it covered both Galin's and Milo's bodies and then turned to her husband, her Milo who was fast asleep, lightly snoring, his features more relaxed than they ever were during the day. Kida smiled, and leaned over to give him a soft, tender kiss on his lips, while running her slender fingers through his silky dirty-blonde hair. Milo gave a small, unconscious smile.

"Kida…"

The Queen blushed and Milo's snoring slowed to relaxed quiet breaths. Kida shook her head.

"Sweet dreams, love."

Kemelan cooed softly, and Kida placed an imperious finger on her lips to silence him. The blue reptile obeyed and she gently scratched his throat to reward him.

"I entrust them into your care, Kemelan. Watch over them, will you?"

* * *

Kida closed the door behind her. Just when she was about to go back to her room and to sleep, she heard someone call her name. She tightened her nightgown-tails and turned round. There stood Akhilesh, one of the warriors who were assigned to hers and Milo's protection inside the palace. Akhilesh was a tall and handsome man He had married Almaribekh, one of Kida's childhood friends and Atlantis' Master Weaver, about a century ago. Though he had never been the same again since he had lost his son in an accident, Akhilesh had tried his best to retain the jovial and positive attitude that made him as endearing as a child. Kida waited for him to come closer before she asked him what he wanted. He grinned.

"It seems, my Queen, that you are in for one long solitary night."

Kida laughed.

"That I am. Would you believe it? My own son stole my husband from me!"

"Would you like me to replace him?"

She raised her eyes heavenwards but couldn't help but laugh again.

"It is very kind of you, but no, thank you very much."

"Oh. That is a shame."

"Besides, I am not sure your wife would appreciate such a thing."

"Probably not!" Akhilesh conceded, grinning sheepishly.

"Then have a good night, Akhilesh, my friend."

"You too, Queen Kidagakash. May the Spirits of Atlantis watch over you."

And Kida soon went to bed again, and drifted back to sleep, making a mental note to wake up early the following morning so she would be able to see Milo's embarrassed face when he would try to come back into their bedroom silently and find out she already knew where he had slept.


	2. Strange Treasures

**Author's note: As always, I apology for the delay. But that is not the only thing I feel I have to apologize for. I know some of you wondered why I didn't write any reviews recently. I am still not ready to tell the precise reason for that, because it is still extremely painful to me, and because I think it would be a disrespectful thing to do, too. So I will just say that personal problems -serious problems- are the reason why I have kept silent for so long. Sorry about that. **

**The other thing I have to say is: don't worry, I have not abandonned 'An Endless Mystery', and the next chapter(s) should be available relatively soon. The writing takes a lot of time, and I won't even mention the translation from French into English. So I wrote this little oneshot so we can all have patience. **

**Again, my most sincere apologies to anyone who might have been waiting for a review from me during the last weeks/months. With no further ado, I hope you will enjoy your reading.**

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A new sound filled the air. It was a sound that seemed both strangely unknown and yet extraordinarily familiar. A sound that had been engraved forever in the balance of life and death since the beginning of time.

Milo lay peacefully on his side, propped onto one elbow to support his weight, and looked away somewhat regretfully from Kida, whose body was curled up against his under the thin blanket that covered them both. The King of Atlantis pricked up his ears, still caressing absent-mindedly his wife's naked shoulder, and marvelled at the sound and the reality it carried. He felt Kida stir against him, her instincts ready to surface and make her leave the refreshing and well-deserved sleep she had, hours ago, welcomed and wilfully gave way to. Milo smiled tenderly and dipped his head down to brush his lips against the shell of her ear.

"You've done enough for today. Don't worry about it. I'll manage."

The Queen gave an unconscious sigh and relaxed, her face sinking deeper into her pillow. Milo, still smiling, placed a feather-light kiss on her lips, careful not to wake her up.

"I love you", he whispered, peering at the way Kida's lips curved into a subconscious smile. How he had ever managed to win her heart he would actually never truly understand. And that was the beauty of it.

The sound echoed again, stronger this time, and Milo got up ever so carefully. The plaintive wails sounded wonderful to him. Trying for the umpteenth time to let the truth of it sink in, Milo grinned widely whilst he adjusted his kilt, not bothering to put on the upper part of his toga, and made his way towards his newborn son's chamber. Actually, Galin's room was just an extension of Milo and Kida's private chambers. It had been decided that the Prince would of course have his own room later on, but, as long as he was a baby, he would remain as near to his parents' as possible.

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Milo glanced outside and quite humorously decided the Mother Crystal's cerulean light shone dimmer than it usually did, as if it did not want to disturb the little Prince on his first night in Atlantis. The scholar bent over the beautifully-carved wooden cradle and was met by two intense blue eyes that suddenly stared at him curiously. The Prince stopped sobbing and cocked his head to the side, just the way his mother did every so often. Milo chuckled at the gesture and felt his heart swell with pride and love.

"Well, hello, Galin. Mind if I take a seat?"

The Prince emitted a sound that his father decided with a smile to take as a 'no'. Milo sat comfortably into the chair that had been thoughtfully put beside the cradle and resumed looking at his son. Both father and son kept silent for a relatively long time, staring into each other's eyes and wondering which one of them was the most astonished. Galin eventually gave a toothless smile and extended his tiny arms, fingers stretched in demand. Milo did not need to see it twice. He instinctively took his son into his arms and huddled him up against his pounding heart.

Galin seemed to be happy for the time being, and Milo used that time to study his son more carefully than he had before. He saw a dark, tanned skin, though slightly lighter than Kida's. He saw deep blue eyes, and a nose that was not as sharp as his father's, but not exactly like his mother's as well. He saw finely shaped lips. And, above all, he saw golden hair. Milo ran his fingers through the wonderfully soft golden bangs, and Galin laughed with delight. The King of Atlantis was actually quite thankful for his son's colour of hair for it was the physical piece of evidence that proved to everyone Galin was his son. It marked the Prince's beautiful difference.

Milo's thoughts were shattered when he felt a tiny hand wrap possessively around his pale forefinger. He smiled, finding he was close to tears, kissed his son's forehead, slowly got up and began pacing in the room, heading for the balcony from which he would be able to view the entire city of Atlantis. The Prince suddenly seemed very, very interested indeed in the strange circles his father wore on his nose and reached for them.

"You know, little one, it was quite thoughtful of you to let your mother have her labour during the day and let her rest during the night. I have to thank you on her behalf."

Galin's interest in Milo's glasses faded and a look of surprise and wonder came across the baby's face when he saw the benevolent Heart of Atlantis for the first time of his life.

"_Strange treasures in this fair world appear, strange all and new to me._"

Galin looked up, blue eyes confused and curious at the same time. Milo smiled down at him.

"That is a poem by Thomas Traherne, and I have absolutely no idea what it's about. But when I was small, I was made to learn it by heart, so I don't see why you shouldn't suffer too."

* * *

Kida opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings and finding she had not slept this well for years…except maybe after her wedding night. She smiled at the thought and turned on her side to take a look at her husband, but he was not there. Under normal – or rather, former circumstances- she would have furrowed her eyebrows and wondered where he could have gone, but now the answer to that question was so evident that she did not need to consider any other one. Kida looked down at her mother's bracelet that had been resized to fit her slender wrist again. The Queen remembered the previous hours and only one thought kept hammering in her mind, swelling in her breast, but certainly not in a painful way. _I have a baby. We have a baby. We are parents. _And then another thought. _Mahtihm, Tahbtoap, I wish you were here to see him. He's beautiful. _She smiled, basking in the reality of it, slipped on a simple nightgown and did not fight the urge to go and see her newborn son…and her husband, of course.

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Milo was ready to put Galin back into his cradle, but the latter suddenly decided to cry out as loud as his new lungs would enable him. Milo cringed, actually impressed by the power that resided in the voice of such a little being.

"Shh, Galin, calm down…", Milo tried, soothing, but to no effect and the baby kept on crying, despite the way his father gently rocked him in his arms.

"Look, I- I am an awful dancer, you can ask your Mahtihm, but- but I am a fairly good singer. How about a song? Unfortunately, I don't know many lullabies, so…uh…you'll just have to cope with it, okay?"

Galin just cried even louder than before, and Milo tried not to give way to panic. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and the words left his mouth and rose into the peaceful night. He sang softly, gently, suddenly realizing he had the voice of a tenor.

"_Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,_

_That saved a wretch like me...._

_I once was lost but now am found,_

_Was blind, but now, I see._

_T'was Grace that taught...__"_

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Kida had stopped on the threshold that led to Galin's room, hidden by the curtain that was hanging there, when she had heard Milo's voice. She did not want to intrude on him like that, did not want to break the magic of the moment and listened, fascinated, to the lyrics her husband was singing. She decided she would have to ask him where he had learned the song. Even if she suspected she did not know much about the context in which that song was created in the first place, she still found it beautiful.

Kida watched with love, adoration, pride and amusement as her Milo desperately tried to soothe the baby's persistent cries. He eventually gave up and just stopped singing altogether, sighing, disappointed. He sat down into the chair beside the cradle, holding Galin at arm's length, as if trying to determine what the problem was. Milo resumed holding the baby against his chest.

Galin ran his tiny hands across his father's torso, found a nipple and tried to suck on it, but nothing happened. Milo burst out laughing, finally understanding what the source of Galin's cries was and mentally slapping himself for not having thought about it sooner. Kida barely managed to contain her own laughter.

"Oh, you're hungry!", Milo exclaimed with a goofy grin. "I'm so very sorry, but the dairy is closed…and that won't ever change, I'm afraid."

"Well, maybe his Mahtihm can solve this problem, don't you think?"

Milo heard the smile in his wife's warm voice, and turned round to watch her as she came by his side. Galin's cries stopped as he spotted his mother, and he began to wave his little arms about in agitation. The King of Atlantis handed his son over to his wife, and smiled as the baby was finally satisfied. Milo eyed Kida carefully. She looked radiant as she gazed down at her bundle of joy. When she realized her husband was staring at her, she looked up.

"What is it?"

"Nature isn't fair."

She snorted.

"You would like to nourish him?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

"And have fun carrying him to term?"

"Um…"

Milo smiled crookedly and leaned in to kiss her instead of giving her a proper answer. She accepted his mouth willingly and observed him when he pulled away. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, and then laughed to himself.

"What?", Kida asked again.

"I've heard women joke about how if men were the ones having the babies, the whole species would have gone extinct a long time ago. And I'm not sure I want to find out if they're right about that."

She laughed, and he laughed in return. Galin eventually drifted back to sleep, and both his parents took the time to kiss him on each of his cheeks before Kida put him into his cradle again.

"He is as beautiful as you.", Milo commented, wrapping an arm around Kida's waist.

"And as you.", she replied, rising on her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Let us go back to bed as long as we can."

"Yup, you're right. God only knows when that will happen again."


End file.
